Now, I have worked in marketing for over twenty years. I enjoy it, and continue to work within the industry, but what has always confused me is why do we need marketing people for hospitals, councils, government departments etc? Why? Some one tell me?

I am willing to see the sense in that you need communications people, even research people, but why does a NHS hospital need a marketing director on £100k per annum? What marketing strategy are you going to come up with? Who are you competing against? We have a friggin national health service and the prospective customers are dying, literally in some cases due to badly needed funds for doctors and nurses being spent on marketing people, to get into the hospitals?

I was reading today in the good old Nuardiag that council chief officers earn more than the PM! How on earth can that be justified ? The common answer is that they have to compete with the private sector for key people. Really? Is that so.................its not jobs for the boys and girls at all is it? I know for a fact that unless you work in the non profit sector you wont get anywhere for a senior marketing role, and I know that all council chief executives are career local government people. So, why are these people so vastly over paid? Or, with regards to marketing people why do they have jobs whatsoever? Is the private sector going to head hunt local government people? Errr...no.

Can you remember when Thatcher pulled the best con trick known to man by selling the utilities to the British people when we already owned them so she could have so tactical tax cuts just before an election? As soon as the utilities were privatised the senior (ex) civil servants gave themselves enormous pay increases. The logic being was to stop them being head hunted by US companies. Panorama hired a head hunting company to submit the CV's of all these people to US firms to see how many of them would be targeted. Guess how many. Zilch as none of them were considered qualified to even be middle managers in a private utilities company.

When the NHS trusts were introduced they actually made nurse redundant at hospital and recruited administrators and marketing people! What for? Please, if someone out there understands this please tell me. I have interviewed marketing people from the public sector and their skills bases were not transferable to the private sector. Nor, in most cases were their personalities (you don't tend to do 35hrs per week on flexi-time in the private sector shall we say), and I am sure they are admirable people, and its not the individuals I am ranting against but the logic of the situation.

Why do companies need marketing people? Answer to define and implement a marketing mix, to define and research new products, to support sales, to keep ahead of the competition, and to communicate.

Now, where does that come in for a state hospital? Its all Gus from Drop the Dead Donkey hasn't it.

Friday, 3 April 2009

These boys are probably the best Foundry stuff I've ever painted. Some of the Foundry figures are fantastic and a joy to paint. There's a fair bit of conversion work here so the unit is pretty much unique. Flag is by GMB.

I know its heresy to say this, and I am a massive fan, but I actually prefer these old Perry sculpts to their own offerings. I dont know why - just the character.

You will kindly note that I have been very brave and attempted to paint stripy trousers! Cworr! That's well hard I can tell you. Respect to anyone who does it all the time.

There's a lot of head swaps (the mounted colonel is actually a line colonel with a new head etc) and for those particularly observant you'll see Perry plastic heads as well.

Hope you enjoy this as much as I did painting it.

The figures were painted using essentially the "Foundry" three colour system, with RTB amends, and Barry Hilton ideas. Paints are Foundry and Vallejo.

No, its not a plug for another Cliff Ricard record, but rather the fact that we should rejoice that some of the worlds most powerful people have got themselves re-elected, big directorships when they retire, and massive advances for their autobiographies (please Mr B can I write yours?)...........sorry, I meant they have saved the world economy.

Now, don't get me wrong here, I really am pleased, and I think they have done the right thing (for once), even though our German friends and French fiends were playing silly buggers before it all. But, you telling me it wasn't just one big ego trip? If it works its got Brown five more years.I actually sympathise with Cameron; he's done nothing really wrong (besides Boris Johnson and George Osbourne but we all have our crosses to bear), and even though he is a Tory, and a politician, I actually believe he is good bloke. He's re-positioned the Tory party as a classical liberal party (with monarchist, anti-European hang-ups, but hey ho) and is trying to be sensible. However...........how can you criticise the government for doing what you would have done, and everyone knows that's what you would have done? The other point is you've played a safe game since becoming leader, no gaffes (that's where George and BJ come in), you are massively ahead in the polls and now its looks as if you going to be the next Tory leader not to become PM as Broone from Dunfermline as shafted you well and truly by becoming the saviour of the world!

Thursday, 2 April 2009

My big hobby at the moment is building up 28mm Napoleonic armies for the period 1814/1815. To this end I have a fair collection of Prussians and French.

Like many collectors I am far more successful at buying than I am at painting but recently I have speeded up quite dramatically. How? I really have no idea as I paint for no more than ten hours each week but I seem to be getting quicker than a race horse with an ounce of baccy up its arse.

What does this mean? It means that I have sold off some of my older figures to make room for more goodies! Here's a sample of the figures I have recently sold to my new chum Iannick in Canada. He is a good sort as 1. he isn't a yank, 2. he likes cats, 3. he has commissioned me for some more painting! Anyway, please see my lost children or enfants perdu for those who (unlike me) parlez Francais.